Marty and Monique Rathbun It's another victory for Monique Rathbun in her harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige: Comal County, TexasJudge Dib Waldrip has granted her request for a continuance so she can gather more evidence to refute Scientology's anti-SLAPP motion. A new hearing on the matter has been set for February 3 and 4, and in the meantime, Waldrip has given Monique a strongly-worded order to help her pry that evidence from Scientology.

Scientology presented its own argument in favor of its motion last week, on January 8, and tried to convince Judge Waldrip that its legal argument was so sound, no additional evidence was needed.

Scientology is trying to convince Waldrip that the years it spent spying on Monique and her husband Mark 'Marty' Rathbun were all just part of a religious dispute that the court has no business getting involved in. They're classifying Monique's lawsuit as a bullying action, and the church as an innocent victim. As our attorney analysts have pointed out, it's a topsy-turvy use of anti-SLAPP law, which was designed to keep large, well-heeled bullies from suing small critics out of existence.